So This is Christmas
by amorgan18
Summary: Arizona reads The Nutcracker while Callie works some sugar plum magic in the Pediatric Ward.


**Disclaimer:** The author of this piece does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to Shonda Rhimes, their original creator.  
>Credit to E.T.A. Hoffmann and <em>The Nutcracker<em> and the quotes, references, and the wonderful inspiration. We've all seen the ballet, hell I've played in the orchestra for it several times. But the book is the real magic.

**a/n:**Written for a Secret Santa fic gifting awhile back. Thought I'd share... Merry Christmas!

_"...She is just snuggling into the blankets when she realizes with a start of joy, that she is wearing a ring on her finger. And when she looks at her dear nutcracker, his broken teeth are mended. Gone is the handkerchief that is tried around his head and he seems to Clara to be smiling at her._

The End," Arizona reads to her young patients, surrounding her in wheel chairs and sitting patiently on the floor of the Pediatric ward.

A collective yet satisfied groan rises up from the blonde surgeon's audience as she closes the book and looks to them. She looked around her small wing of Seattle Grace. The walls were barely decorated barring a few drawn pictures hung up by the children. Their tree was just a two foot fiber optic one donated by some intern who'd probably bought the thing during their undergrad. The recession had hit Seattle Grace taken with it the holiday spirit that usually garnished their hallways. The only thing not missing was her patients' enthusiasm for Christmas.

"Dr. Robbins! Read another one!" begs one of the smaller patients, while he stifles a yawn.

"Again? But what about Santa! He'll never show up to the hospital if you're all awake."

"Aww! Do we have to to?" a smaller girl asks, tightly clutching her bear.

"Afraid so Carly."

"Even you?"

"No stupid! Dr. Robbins is a grown up!" an arrogant boy named Harris interrupts.

Before Arizona can tell the boy never call anyone stupid, the ding on the elevator sounds and doors open revealing her girlfriend dressed in her white lab coat. Her heart soars as Arizona thinks of her riding in on a white horse ready to save the day.

"Dr. Torres!" the young audience exclaims in a various greetings and tones. It was only obvious, if Arizona Robbins loved the orthopedic surgeon, the young patients under her care would love her just as much.

"Hey little people!" Callie exclaims as the few that can hop up to hug the surgeon.

"Callie…" Arizona fumed as her appearance just riles up them up even more. She shot her girlfriend a frown and tried again. "It's past 8:30 already!"

"Almost party time then, huh?" Callie laughs as she fishes up one of the patients attached to her legs and tickles her.

"Which means," Arizona continues. "Santa's going to skip over this hospital because no one's in bed!"

"Right! Bed… uhh.. umm.. Let's go!" Callie says and slowly tries to make it down the hallway as the kids stay firmly attached her to legs, giggling.

Laughing to herself, Arizona signaled the nurses and interns to come help her gather the rest of the children and return them to their rooms.

"Dr. Torres would let us stay up and see him…" Harris quips, crossing his arms in defeat, as one of the interns takes him back to his room.

It was true; her girlfriend, her superstar with a scalpel and new favorite among her patients, would indeed let them stay up and try to catch a glimpse of Father Christmas. But thankfully, Arizona still has some control over that.

xXx 

As the last child was rounded up, Arizona gathered up her books and pager headed down to her office for a moment of peace. It seemed her pager had been chattering non-stop since Thanksgiving. Across the nation children had been coming down with everything from pneumonia to swine flu and Seattle was no different. Though rest, hydration and a few packs of Azithromycin were a normal prescription from any doctor at this time of season, the pediatric surgeon had found herself knee deep in more of those then surgeries.

Tonight, however would be different, Arizona told herself as she flipped through with patient twenty-three's file from today while walking to her office. Tonight, the roller skating attending would find herself aboard a red eye flight to Hawaii to celebrate the Christmas with her loving girlfriend. The trip was a gift from Calliope's parents It was a peace treaty of sorts in the battle to win back their right to be a part of their daughter's life. Carlos Torres sent the tickets along with a simple note, 'Once a good soldier, Always a good soldier.' It didn't mean much to Callie, but Arizona was more than thrilled that she would be getting to spend the holiday showing her a little bit about who she was.

Two first class tickets to the gathering place aka Oahu were suppose to have departed over three days ago. Fortunately, Callie Torres was no fool when Arizona had announced that two more peds doctors had called in sick. She knew where her sprightly girlfriend's mind would be if they left the hospital in need. So, Callie called the airline company and moved their flight to leave on Christmas Eve.

But as Arizona sat down at her desk, about to immense her self in finalizing paper work and charts, she found herself having to think of reason why leaving was still a good idea. Some of the greatest Christmases Arizona had ever had was as resident when she transformed the pediatric wing into a sugar plum fantasy and spent with day with her tiny patients and their families. It was one of the few times the sick children seemed to forget all that ailed them and fully took in the magic.

A small head adorned in a fuzzy peach hair peeped from behind the door and let out a small giggle before ducking back into the shadows. Arizona smiled to herself. One of her young patients had stolen away into her office.

"Hmm… I thought I heard Marie, but I guess that's just the mice here to take me away," Arizona mused.

Seven year old Marie, a young cancer patient of the ward, had just undergone her second round of chemo and was looking at another procedure to rid her body of any cancerous cells. She cried, she laughed, and she longed to be out in the real world just like all of Dr. Robbins' other patients. And more than any other patient, Marie believed in magic. Her favorite bit of magic was the story of the Nutcracker.

The small girl looked out from her hiding spot, still giggling.

"I think it came from the hallway. I guess I should check there," Arizona played along and started to head out off her office when Marie jumped out and yelled, "Boo!"

In mock fear, Arizona yelped and fainted onto couch.

"Dr. Robbins! Don't die! It's just me!" Marie cried out, joining her on the couch.

"Oh thank goodness it's just one of my favorite patients!" Arizona said springing back to life. "And not one of those awful mice here to take me away."

"Then Dr. Torres would have to come and save you right? Because she's your nutcracker prince right?"

Arizona didn't know where to start with explaining that one to Marie. Instead so she just wrapped her arms around the little girl and hugged her, fighting back joyful tears. She was one of the few patients who knew of her doctor's relationship with Callie and with a child like innocence she accepted it. But who wouldn't when the orthopedic rock star was always in and out of the ward, playing with the patients just as much as Arizona did.

"So how did you get past the nurses again?" Arizona asked.

"It's a secret!" Marie squeaked.

"A secret eh? That sounds like mama doesn't know you got past her either. Come on! Let's get you back in bed before your parents see you're missing too."

"Aww… but I want to play!"

"That's what tomorrow's for sweetie. Tomorrow Santa will have come and he'll have left all sorts of presents for you to play with."

"Are you sure he's going to know we're at the hospital and not at home?"

"Of course! You think a great guy like Santa Claus wouldn't know exactly where to find you?"

The young patient smiled. "Are you gonna be here?"

"Sorry sweetie. Dr. Torres and I are going away tonight to celebrate Christmas."

"I wish you were going to be here with us."

Arizona helped her up and took her hand. "Come on. We better get you back to bed."

As the two walked down the hallway, Marie looked up to her doctor and hesitantly asked, "Will you read me the Nutcracker again before you leave?"

Her heart filled with a mixture of love and pain as the child stared at her. God knew that she needed this vacation, but something felt out of place.

"We'll read it twice if you want." 

xXx 

_"Nutcracker! The Mouse King hisses. This fight is between you and me. Are you such a coward that you dare not face me alone?_

_At this insult, the toys cry out angrily for the Nutcracker is their champion. And proudly he steps forward to accept the challenge."_

Arizona looked down at a fast asleep Marie, curled up in her lap as they lay on the hospital bed. The mighty girl had convinced her to read the story, not once but three times before she finally succumbed to sleep. She closed the book and looked to the clock. It's nearly ten. They'll have less than four hours before their flight leaves.

"I guess you're stuck here?" a voice spoke.

There was Callie standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" Arizona asked in a hushed voice, careful not to wake Marie.

"Hmm… Somewhere during the Russian dance and the sugarplum fairy skating around in someone's dreams."

"Heard that did ya?" Arizona asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Best version of the Nutcracker I've ever heard. So, I guess you're staying put for a bit?" Callie asked, pointing to the sleeping child in her lap.

"Just a little bit."

"We have to leave soon or else we're not going to make our flight."

"I wish we were staying to see them tomorrow. This place is nowhere near as decorated as I had it last year."

Marie snuggled deeper into Arizona's arms.

Callie smiled at her. "Take your time, Ari. I'll get the car packed, then come get you."

"Thanks," Arizona whispered and looked back down to her young charge.

The brunette doctor whipped down the hallway and pulled out her cell phone. She made two phone calls. First, to the airline canceling their reservations and second, to her residents and interns, asking them to grab any left over decorations for the children's ward.

xXx

"Dr. Robbins! Dr. Robbins wake up! Santa came!" Marie squeals.

"Huh what?" Arizona wondered aloud.

The doctor rubbed her eyes and took a good look around the room. It was morning as the light shined into the room. She had fallen asleep exactly where Callie had left her last night. Her arm was numb from the little girl sleeping on her and she was sure there was going to be one heck of a kink in her neck when she sat up straight.

"Santa! He was here and he turned the hospital into the Sugar Plum Fairy's land!" Marie shouted and jumped off the bed and running into the hallway.

Slowly, she got up and stretched out her back. It was morning, meaning they'd miss their flight. But instead of being angry, Arizona felt relief knowing she'd be spending her favorite holiday with some of her favorite tiny humans.

Marie zoomed back into the room, this time with a stuffed nutcracker toy tucked over her arm. "It's amazing Dr. Robbins! You have to see!"

"Coffee first, Marie!" cries Arizona as the small girl pulled her sleepy doctor to her feet to out into the hallway.

Instantly, Arizona's eyes opened wide as she stared at the transformed pediatric ward. Paper snow flake chains were ornamented across the ceiling. Lights decorated every entrance. Instead of the stale hospital air, it smelled of freshly baked cookies and warm cider. It was the Holiday dream that Arizona had wanted to originally decorate the ward with.

Marie tugged on Arizona's arms and pointed down the hallway. Under a huge traditional Christmas tree were more presents than the blonde surgeon imagined possible with happy children and thankful parents opening them. In the thick of it was Callie passing out gifts to all the children. She was dressed to the nines in a holiday sweater with curve hugging pants and a Santa hat topping her outfit. As she passed another present to an eager child her eyes locked with Arizona's. Gracefully, she excused herself and headed straight to her girlfriend.

"Can I go open some more presents? Can I?" Marie asked.

Stunned, all Arizona could do was nod as Marie took off towards the tree and Callie joined her.

"Calliope… How... Wha? Did – " Arizona shuttered.

"Shh…" says Callie taking her girlfriend by the hand and leading into a private room.

"We missed our flight! Our Christmas fairy tale! Why would you –"

"Stop!" She interrupts. "Being here with the kids, making sure they have the Christmas they deserve; that's our fairy tale." She pulls Arizona in her arms. "And I have to thank you. _Thank you, kind lady, for saving my life. By doing so you have broken a spell that held me in that wooden body."_

"Oh Calliope! Merry Christmas," Arizona swoons and stands up on the tip of her toes to kiss her girlfriend.


End file.
